1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic device, an ultrasonic probe, electronic equipment, and an ultrasonic imaging apparatus.
2. Related Art
Up to the present time, ultrasonic elements that transmit and receive ultrasound have been known. For example, JP-A-2002-271897, which is an example of related art, discloses ultrasonic elements (ultrasonic transducers) each having a structure in which a substrate is provided with an opening, and a film, a first electrode, a piezoelectric layer, and a second electrode are sequentially layered over the opening. As the substrate of the ultrasonic elements, silicon substrates or the like are used. On such a silicon substrate, the first and second electrodes and the piezoelectric layer formed of thin films are provided.
The structure of the ultrasonic elements disclosed in JP-A-2002-271897 is susceptible to damage by external forces, because of an opening provided in the substrate that is made of a brittle material.
In particular, such a structure suffers from a problem that, if an impact force is externally applied to an acoustic lens by being dropped or the like, the ultrasonic elements or the substrates of the ultrasonic elements are susceptible to damage.